By 2030, China’s car brands could dominate up to a quarter of the UK market as the petrol and diesel ban takes effect, research suggests.
UK car manufacturers experience “growing pains” in the zero emission vehicle (ZEV) transition, as production volumes dropped over 2024.
The sector produced less than 1 million cars and commercial vehicles last year, the latest figures by the Society of Motor Manufacturers & Traders (SMMT) show.
Factories have turned out 779,584 cars and 125,649 commercial vehicles (CVs), which includes vans, trucks, taxis, buses and coaches. A total of 905,233 units represents a 11.8 percent decrease on 2023.
The drop in production volumes comes as no surprise, according to SMMT Chief Executive Mike Hawes.
He cited geopolitical and trade tensions, as well as pressures around ZEV transition, among the reasons affecting the industry.
“UK manufacturers are set on turning billions of pounds of investment into production reality, transforming factories to make new electric vehicles for sale around the world. Growing pains are inevitable, so the drop in volumes last year is not surprising,” he said.
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